Fallen (Part 10)
Joseph walked over to the bed and placed a comforting hand on James’ shoulder. "I will be outside. Let me know what you need from me," he said quietly.
James nodded, then watched as Joseph left the room and closed the door behind him. He turned back toward Justin who lay shivering in his arms.
"Justin, it’s true, isn’t it? You are human now. That bastard took your wings and made you human," James said in a voice saddened by his grief.
Justin pulled his head away from James’ protective embrace and looked at him with his tear-filled eyes. Again, James was struck by how much sorrow those eyes could contain. "Human," Justin said sadly. The word was no more than a choked sob, but it was without a doubt a human voice that issued forth from a human throat.
James nodded as he ran his hand through Justin’s tight curls. "I failed you Justin. I failed you. I am so sorry; so, so sorry."
Justin whimpered against him then lowered his head. James looked down at their bodies and noticed that they were both now covered in Justin’s blood. The hand that he was stroking Justin’s head with was covered with blood. He forced himself to ignore it and concentrated on comforting his angel. He smiled sadly when he realized that he still thought of him as his angel.
"Shhh…my angel. I’m here now. No one will ever hurt you again. No one."
Justin wrapped his arms around James’ waist and embraced him tightly, desperately, as he continued to sob.
James did the only thing he knew to do. He continued to stroke Justin’s curls and whisper words of comfort.
"Shhh…it’s all right now. It’s all right…"
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Outside the bedchamber, Joseph found Christopher slumped down on the floor against the wall, his face hidden in his hands. His shoulders shook as if he was weeping, but he could hear no sound coming from the man.
Curious, Joseph lowered himself to one knee and hesitantly touched a quivering shoulder.
Christopher looked up suddenly, fright apparent on his face. When he saw that it was only Joseph, he visibly relaxed and turned his face to the side as if ashamed. Joseph could clearly see the silent tears that ran down the other man’s smooth cheeks.
"Why are you crying?" he asked as he withdrew his hand.
"This is all my fault. All my fault," Christopher said breathlessly as he kept his face averted.
Joseph reached out and turned Christopher’s face towards him roughly. "How is this your fault? Were you a part of this?" he asked angrily.
Christopher shook his head as more tears fell from his eyes. He didn’t even bother to wipe them away. "I knew what would happen to him, but I did nothing to stop it. If I had only warned your brother, then maybe…" Chris’ words trailed off into sobs of misery.
Joseph’s anger dissipated slightly now that he knew Christopher had had no direct participation in Justin’s assault. He spoke more gently. "How did you know what would happen?"
"I never imagined he would take his wings. I never imagined that he could be so cruel."
"You did not answer my question. How did you know what would happen?"
Christopher looked him straight in the eye for the first time and Joseph could easily see the pain that his dark brown eyes held. "Because he does it to everyone that he likes."
A twisted thought crept into Joseph’s brain as he looked at the man before him. He had not given Christopher’s behavior much thought, but now that he was focusing on him, it was so easy to see that Christopher acted like a broken man. "Including you?" Joseph ventured, hoping that he had guessed wrong.
Christopher laughed then, a coarse, bitter laugh that answered Joseph’s question before his words did. "Yes. Including me."
Joseph reached out and touched the man’s shoulder again as compassion and pity overwhelmed him. "What has he done to you?"
Christopher shook his head and pushed himself from the floor to stand. "That no longer matters. He no longer touches me. What matters now is Justin," he said as he began to walk away.
Joseph stood also, momentarily caught off-guard by the sudden change in Christopher’s demeanor. One moment he had been frightened and in pain and the next moment all that emotion had seemingly disappeared.
Joseph ran to catch up to Christopher. "Where are you going?" he asked as he walked alongside him.
"To get medicinal supplies. Your brother will need them to help Justin," Christopher answered without slowing down his pace.
"Fine then. I will come with you. In case you need any help in carrying them. Or…something."
Christopher slowed and glanced at the man next to him. How long had it been since someone offered to help him with anything? He gave a shy smile as he whispered, "Thank you."
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By the time Joseph and Christopher returned to the bedchamber, Justin was asleep in James’ arms. James looked up at them hopelessly as they entered. "There’s so much blood…" he said softly.
"I can help," Christopher said as indicated the supplies in his arms.
James nodded his appreciation, then turned to Joseph. "Not here though. I do not want him staying here another minute," he said as he looked down at the bloodstained sheets.
"We can move him to my bedchamber," Christopher suggested.
"Yes, that would be good. Thank you," James said.
Without another word, Christopher turned and walked out into the hallway and waited for the other men. Joseph watched as James wrapped Justin up in the bloodied sheets with a grimace of disgust and then stood with him in his arms.
Justin’s head rested against James’ chest while his long limbs dangled lifelessly from his body. As James stared down at his precious burden he had to fight back the tears that only moments ago had been completely under control. He forced himself to look away and followed Joseph out the door and into the hallway.
As soon as they reached their destination, Christopher set down his supplies and pointed to his bed. "You can set him down there."
James stepped forward and placed Justin down on the bed gently as if he were made of finely spun glass that would easily break. He then stepped back and allowed Christopher to take over.
While Christopher tended to Justin’s injuries, James turned to his brother. He looked at Joseph with a fierce determination in his eyes. He leaned in towards his brother and whispered, "I have made a decision Joseph."
"What is it?" Joseph asked.
"I will not allow Justin to stay here. I cannot."
"You know that Lord Joshua will not agree to give him back to us," Joseph said.
"Yes, I know," James answered.
"Then what are you saying?"
"That I am taking him away from here," James said calmly.
Joseph opened his mouth to protest, but James held up his hand and spoke first. "I know what you are about to say and I know what will happen to me if I take Justin away without the Lord’s permission. I am prepared to deal with the repercussions."
Joseph stepped closer to James, his voice low and urgent. "James, think! You will be a hunted man. You will never be able to return home, to see mother or father again. You will never be able to see Elizabeth grow. All this for a creature that you’ve known for a few days?"
"Not a creature. A man. He is a man now and I would never be able to live with myself if I simply abandoned him here." James’ voice became even softer as he said, "I believe that I was destined to find him, Joseph. He needs me by his side. I see that now."
Joseph sighed in defeat. He could tell that James had made up his mind and he knew from experience that his stubborn brother would not change it. "How and when do you plan to do this?"
"I do not know yet. I have to think," James said.
Joseph appeared to be deep in thought for a moment and then he again sighed and stared up at the ceiling. "You will need help," he stated.
James looked at him in confusion but said nothing.
Joseph’s eyes came down to look at his brother. "If you try to do it by yourself, you will get caught."
"Just what are you trying to say?" James asked.
"That I will help you."
James wasn’t sure that he had heard correctly. He stood there, stupefied, unable to say anything but a shocked, "What?"
Joseph smiled. "You heard me."
"But Joseph, why? Why would you make that sacrifice?"
"Because you are right James. He does not belong here." He glanced over at Christopher before continuing with an edge of anger in his voice. "He does not belong here with that animal. It is the right thing to do."
James allowed himself a small smile. He felt his heart fill with love for his brother and he wanted desperately to accept his help and then to reach out and embrace him, but he had to know for sure. "You will not be able to return home either," he said.
Joseph shrugged as if that were an unimportant matter, but James knew better. "I have always wanted to travel," he said managed to say lightly.
This time James could not control himself. He practically pounced on Joseph and hugged him so tightly that the other man could barely breathe.
"Thank you. Thank you…"